Super Duty Solution

The sheer simplicity of the Ford Super Duty leaf-spring suspension has helped make these trucks some of the most popular rigs on the planet. Clearly, they're easy to lift when compared to an IFS truck, but that doesn't make them any less susceptible to the growing pains associated with fitting a significant amount of altitude. One of the main problems encountered after installing major lift is that doing so significantly impacts the geometry of the front driveshaft, resulting in major vibration and increased CV-joint wear. A simple and effective way to alleviate much of the angle is to reindex the transfer case. The upside to this procedure is that it effectively lowers the front transfer-case output shaft, thus accomplishing the purpose of decreasing angle. The downside is that it creates a lower transfer case, thus reducing ground clearance. Obviously, though, the owners of trucks with massive amounts of lift aren't too worried about this issue.

Matt Dinelli at Attitude Performance in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, has created a transfer case reindexing kit that alleviates much of the front-driveshaft geometry dilemma for Super Dutys that have been lifted 10 inches or more. The kit includes a 3/4-inch-thick reindexing spacer ring with gaskets and hardware, as well as a crossmember spacer. With the reindexing ring fitted between the transfer case and the transmission, the T-case is reindexed 20 degrees counterclockwise, which effectively lowers the front output shaft by 6 inches. Thus, if you have 12 inches of lift under your Super Duty, the kit will modify the angle of the front shaft to that found on a 6-inch lift, and this angle is easily absorbed by a quality CV driveshaft. With the transfer case reindexed, the driveshaft will contact the transmission crossmember, so the kit includes a crossmember spacer that creates room for the front driveshaft, and this piece is welded into the transmission crossmember.

Attitude Performance offers this kit for '99-and-up Ford Super Dutys equipped with the electronic-shift transfer case. At press time the kit was being tested on a number of vehicles, including manual-shift transfer case Super Dutys and '03 Dodge Ram HD pickups with both electronic and manual-shift transfer cases. The technicians at Attitude Performance can install the kit for you, or it can be ordered for self-installation. Either way, this small part fixes a big problem.